The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that Korea’s retail industry climbed 9.2 percent year-on-year in March 2025, with offline sales falling 0.2 percent and online sales advancing 19.0 percent.

MOTIE's monthly retail sales figures are based on surveys of 23 major retailers. Thirteen of them are brick-and-mortar retailers: three department store chains, three hypermarket chains, three convenience store chains, and four super supermarket (SSMs) operators. The remaining 10 are online retailers.

A decline in consumer sentiment affected offline categories like fashion and home appliances, reducing sales at hypermarkets (down 0.2 percent) and department stores (down 2.1 percent). Meanwhile, sales at convenience stores (up 1.4 percent) and SSM operators (up 3.6 percent) increased due to their convenience in shopping local for small purchases.

With the exception of food products (up 3.4 percent), hypermarkets slowed in most sales categories including home appliances/culture (down 20.2 percent), clothing (down 5.7 percent), and home/living (down 3.7 percent). Department stores likewise saw sluggish sales in all categories aside from food products (up 3.5 percent), experiencing downticks in foreign designer labels (down 2.7 percent), household goods (down 2.2 percent), miscellaneous goods (down 3.8 percent), and kids/sports (down 1.6 percent). Convenience stores and SSMs, on the other hand, enjoyed growth across both food and non-food categories.

Online retail sales surged 19.0 percent, the second steepest rise since April 2024 (up 19.5 percent). Food products (up 19.4 percent) and service/other (up 78.3 percent) led the climb, driven by heightened online delivery services and demand for food delivery and e-coupons. In contrast, fashion/clothing (down 4.7 percent) and sports (down 10.1 percent) continued to slow.

Meanwhile, back-to-school demand fueled sales for home appliances/consumer electronics (up 7.8 percent) for the second consecutive month. Cosmetic products (up 7.5 percent) also maintained growth based on wider online demand.